This invention relates to an improved wheel mounting bracket, also known as a hanger or truck, for use with a type of in-line or tandem roller skate using individually mounted wheels rather than wheels mounted as a group between parallel mounting plates, with this new hanger being designed to minimize the possibility of damage or stress to the frame of the skate should a wheel of the skate encounter an obstacle or obstruction, and to absorb vibrations, thus making the operation of this skate smoother and more pleasurable for the user.
Many generations of children and adults alike have enjoyed the pleasures of roller skating, and originally, the roller skates they used were of the so-called "quad" type, with each skate having a pair of wheels in the front, and a pair of wheels in the back.
For reasons of increased speed and maneuverability, a large number of skaters have entirely stopped using quad skates, and have gone over to what are called linear skates, involving a design wherein the wheels of each skate are disposed along a straight line. Linear or in-line skates have at least three wheels, but may utilize four, five or possibly more wheels, for as a generality, the larger the number of wheels, the smoother the ride.
Conventional in-line or linear roller skates normally utilize wheels positioned to rotate within a common vertical plane, and while operating as roller skates, have much of the feel and behavior associated with ice skates. Substantially the same bodily movements are required to operate both ice skates and in-line roller skates, and such roller skates have become increasingly popular with ice skaters as a desirable training tool for off season and on-street use. In recent years, in-line roller skates have been capturing an increasing share of the recreational skate market and in time may parallel jogging as a healthy and pleasurable adult sport.
In 1966, G. K. Ware in U.S. Pat. No. 3,287,023 disclosed an in-line skate with thin, rounded wheels which endeavored to simulate the performance of ice skates. The Ware skate utilized a fairly heavy metal frame having front and rear frame members with longitudinally extending and overlapping sections. Three sections had a multiplicity of horizontally arranged axle apertures which permitted positioning of wheel axles in a variety of different locations and provided continuous adjustability of the frame to accommodate a wide variety of boot sizes. The Ware frame also included the positioning of apertures at several elevations at the front and rear of the skate so that the forward and rear wheels could be a higher level than the two intermediate wheels. The Ware frame and variations of it are still in use on many types of currently available in-line roller skates.
A number of distinct wheel structures have been developed for use with tandem skates, conventional roller skates and other roller devices, some of which are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 189,783, 2,670,242, 4,054,335 and 4,114,952.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,940 entitled "Skate Having Angularly Mounted Wheels" was issued to Ernest E. Brandner on Apr. 19, 1994, with this skate representing a substantial departure from other in-line skates by utilizing wheel brackets attached to the undersurface of the mounting plate of the skate in such a manner as to cause the wheels of the skate to be disposed in a highly advantageous angled relationship. This Brandner patent described how the wheel mounting brackets or hangers could be mounted on the skate frame with all of the wheels mounted at the same angle, or alternatively, with the wheels mounted in an alternating angular relationship along the longitudinal axis of the mounting plate of the skate.
By the very nature of in-line skating, it is often conducted over rough, irregular, and debris filled surfaces. Therefore, it has become desirable to design hangers or wheel mounting brackets providing some shock absorbency, not only for the comfort for the skater, but also to lessen the likelihood of material stress within the frame of the skate.
The present invention is concerned with the construction of hangers or wheel mounting brackets generally similar to those taught in the above-identified Brandner patent, but with these new hangers having highly advantageous shock absorbing qualities in vertical and horizontal planes. Because of this advantageous construction, these novel hangers not only provide more comfort to the skater, but also lessen the likelihood of damage to the skate, should a wheel of the skate strike an obstacle or obstruction during use.